Test - Constitution - Test
Multiple-Choice
1. The source of any and all governmental power in the U.S. is:
a. Congress. c. the people.
b. the President. d. the Supreme Court.
2. The President's power to veto an act of Congress is an example of:
a. federalism. c. limited government.
b. judicial review. d. the system of checks and balances.
3. Which of the following reflects the Framers' fear of too much power accumulating
in any one branch of government?
a. popular sovereignty c. limited government
b. separation of powers d. judicial review
4. The legislative branch can check the judicial branch by its power to:
a. name federal judges. c. remove judges through impeachment.
b. override a presidential veto. d. declare executive actions unconstitutional.
5. Separation of powers means that:
a. power is divided between the National Government and the 50 States.
b. power is distributed among three branches of government.
c. State governments receive their powers from the people.
d. the basic powers of government are gathered in a single agency.
6. The landmark case of Marbury v. Madison established the principle of:
a. federalism. c. judicial review.
b. separation of powers d. checks and balances.
7. The legislative power of the U.S. is vested in:
a. the federal courts. c. the people.
b. Congress. d. the President.
8. Formal amendments must be ratified by the State legislatures or conventions in
how many States?
a. 26 b. 38 c. 32 d. 50
9. The formal amendment process:
a. is relatively simple.
b. has brought about many changes in the Constitution over the years.
c. provides for six different methods of amendment.
d. involves changing the written words of the Constitution.
10. The most recent amendment to the Constitution was the:
a. 18th b. 24th. c. 33rd. d. 26th.
11. The President's Cabinet is an example of:
a. an executive agreement. c. the formal amendment process.
b. the separation of powers. d. the informal amendment process.
12. The Constitution may be informally amended:
a. only by Congress. c. by any of the three branches of the government.
b. only by Congress and the President. d. only by the Supreme Court.
13. Which of the following is an example of informal amendment by the nation's political parties?
a. the "rubber stamp" behavior of presidential electors
b. the judiciary Act of l789 c. the use of executive agreements d. the "no-third-term" tradition
l4. The Bill of Rights guarantees all of the following EXCEPT:
a. freedom of speech. c. fair and equal treatment before the law.
b. freedom of religion. d. suffrage for women.
l5. The opening words of the Constitution, "We the People," are a statement of which
of the following principles?
a. separation of powers c. checks and balances
b. popular sovereignty d. judicial review
16. Which of the following best explains the concept of limited government?
a. Powers are divided among 3 branches of government.
b. All political power belongs to the people.
c. Government has only the authority the people have goven to it.
d. Government can govern only with the consent of the governed.
17. The Constitution set up a federal system of government by:
a. distributing power among 3 branches of government.
b. dividing power between the National Government and the 50 States.
c. providing an amendment process.
d. giving the President the power to veto an act of Congress.
18. The legislative branch can check the executive branch by its power to:
a. name federal judges. c. override a presidential veto.
b. veto an act of Congress. d. declare executive actions unconstitutional.
19. Of the 33 proposed amendments that have been sent to the States since 1789,
how many have been finally ratified?
a. 10 b. 19 c. 33 d. 26
20. Which of the following is NOT an example of the system of checks & balances?
a. The President vetoes a bill.
b. The Supreme Court declares a law passed by Congress unconstitutional.
c. The President makes an executive agreement.
d. The Senate confirms George Schultz as Secretary State.
21. Which of the following aspects of the formal amendment process reflects the
federal character of the U.S. government?
a. Congress does not send a resolution proposing an amendment to the President
to sign or veto.
b. Proposals are made at the national level; ratification takes place State by State.
c. A State legislature can call for an advisory vote by the people before it acts.
d. The Constitution prohibits amendments that would deprive any State of its equal
representation.
22. The 26th amendment:
a. established prohibition. c. lowered the voting age to 18.
b. repealed prohibition. d. granted women the right to vote.
23. The informal amendment process:
a. involves changing the written words of the Constitution.
b. is the key to the vitality of the Constitution.
c. has not been used very often in the past 200 years.
d. can occur only through presidential actions or decisions of the Supreme Court.
24. Which of the following is TRUE of executive agreements?
a. They must be approved by the Senate.
b. They are not as legally binding as treaties.
c. They cannot be used to circumvent the treaty-making process.
d. They demonstrate how executive action can produce an informal amendment.
25. Amendments have been added to the Constitution dealing with all of the following EXCEPT:
a. suffrage. c. civil rights.
b. the President's term of office. d. a balanced budget.
26. How have most constitutional changes been brought about?
a. proposed by national conventions and ratified by the State legislatures
b. proposed by Congress and ratified by State conventions
c. proposed by national conventions and ratified by State conventions
d. through informal amendment
27. Which of these constitutional amendments did NOT expand the suffrage(right to vote)
in the U.S.?
a. 15th b. 19th c. 26th d. 16th
28. The only constitutional amendment to be repealed dealt with the subject of:
a. the slave trade. b. civil rights. c. prohibition. d. income taxes
29. Which of the following is NOT an example of the informal amendment process?
a. an executive agreement c. the behavior of presidential electors
b. the President's Cabinet d. the federal income tax
30. An ___?__ to the Constitution, both written and unwritten, can be made in one of 2 ways.
a. executive agreement c. rule of law
b. constitutionalism d. amendment
31. A pact made by the President using the process of __?__, carries the same force
of law as a treaty.
a. constitutionalism c. amendment
b. executive agreement d. rule of law
32. Governments that obey the fundamental law of the land are abiding by the
principle of __?__.
a. constitutionalism c. amendment
b. executive agreement d. rule of law
33. In the U.S., any governmental action that denies someone fair and equal treatment
under the law may be declared __?__.
a. Constitutionalism c. checks and balances
b. popular sovereignty d. unconstitutional
34. The system of __?__ helps keep one branch of government from dominating the
actions of the others.
a. Constitutionalism c. checks and balances
b. popular sovereignty d. unconstitutional
35. The Constitution provides for the __?__ by creating 3 distinct branches of government:
legislative executive, and judicial.
a. informal amendment c. formal amendment
b. separation of powers d. judicial review
36. Changes to the written provisions of the Constitution may be made only through the
process of __?__.
a. separation of powers c. judicial review
b. informal amendment d. formal amendment
37. The President's power to veto an act of Congress is an example of:
a. executive agreement. c. limited government.
b. judicial review. d. checks and balances.
38. The Framers reconciled the need for an effective central government with a respect
for State governments by creating a system of:
a. constitutionalism. c. federalism.
b. confederate government. d. separation of powers.
39. Which of the following accounts for the ability of the Constitution to endure for more
than 200 years?
a. built-in provisions for accommodating change.
b. detailed provisions that anticipated changing customs.
c. deliberately vague language that invites reinterpretation.
d. inflexible provisions designed to resist change.
40. The informal amendment process:
a. involves changing the written words of the Constitution.
b. has been used very little in the past 200 years.
c. can occur only with the approval of the States.
d. keeps the Constitution responsive and up to date.
41. Which of the following describes the concept of limited government?
a. Powers are divided among three independent branches of government.
b. All political power belongs to the people.
c. Government must operate within certain bounds set by the people.
d. The people must behave according to rules set by the government.
42. When Thomas Jefferson wrote of the Constitution that it "belongs to the living and
not the dead," he most likely meant that:
a. each new generation must preserve the Constitution as it was written.
b. the provisions of the Constitution will never become obsolete.
c. the Framers should have made it more relevant to young people.
d. the Constitution must be responsive to changing times and customs.
43. The formal amendment process:
a. can proceed only with the approval of the President.
b. involves changing the written words of the Constitution.
c. involves unwritten changes in the interpretation of the Constitution.
d. is undertaken jointly by the executive, legislative, and judicial branches.
44. The Constitution has grown and changed mostly as a result of
a. State legislation. c. informal amendments.
b. State conventions. d. formal amendments.
45. Which of the following was formally amended to the Constitution?
a. prohibition of alcoholic beverages c. prohibition of child labor
b. equal rights for women d. balanced federal budget
46. The legislative branch can check the judicial branch by its power to:
a. name federal judges. c. remove judges through impeachment.
b. override a presidential veto. d. declare executive actions unconstitutional.
47. The Bill of Rights guarantees:
a. women the right to vote. c. African Americans the right to vote.
b. fair & equal treatment before the law. d. the popular election of United States senators.
48. The 13th, l4th, and 15th amendments:
a. are known as the Bill of Rights.
b. made changes in the presidential election process.
c. are called the Civil War Amendments.
d. dealt with prohibition.
49. Which of the following is NOT true of the Constitution?
a. It sets limits within which the government must operate:
b. It is open to interpretation.
c. It has not been changed in 50 years.
d. It is the highest form of law in the U.S.
50. My favorite course so far this semester is(there is only one obvious right answer):
a. Physics b. Calculus c. Government d. any other course except economics